The Boutique Hotel Reality Check

Find out where your hotel runs smoothly - and where it's costing you time, stress and five-star reviews

Answer these quick questions about how your hotel operates day to day. There are no right or wrong answers. The more accurate your answers, the more useful your results.

In about five minutes you'll have a clear picture of where things are running well, where the gaps are quietly costing you time and five-star reviews and where one or two changes could make a real difference.

Your results will be waiting for you at the end. Enter your name and email and we'll show you exactly where to focus first.

Section 1/3 - The Owner Mindset

I have a clear vision for where my hotel is going and I have set concrete goals to get there. *

I'm too busy firefighting to think about where we're headed

I have a rough idea but nothing written down or concrete

I have a vision but I haven't translated it into clear goals yet

I have a vision and some goals but I don't review or act on them consistently

I have a clear vision, concrete goals, and I actively work towards them

I delegate tasks and responsibilities to my team and trust them to deliver. *

I find it easier to do most things myself than hand them over

I delegate occasionally but usually end up stepping back in

I delegate some things but hold on to too much without realising it

I delegate well most of the time but struggle to fully let go of certain things

I delegate effectively and trust my team to deliver without me getting involved

My team handles the day-to-day confidently and I don't feel like I need to be on hand at all times to keep things running. *

I haven't had a proper day off in longer than I can remember

I can be away physically but I'm on my phone the whole time

I can switch off for short periods but anything longer feels impossible

I can step away but there's always a nagging feeling something will go wrong

I step away regularly and trust completely that things run fine without me

I feel confident in my ability to lead my team. *

Most of the time I'm winging it and hoping no one notices

I have moments of confidence but self-doubt creeps in regularly

I'm competent but I know there are gaps in how I lead

I feel confident most of the time but certain situations still throw me

I lead my team with confidence and handle whatever comes up

I actively invest in developing my leadership and management skills. *

I don't have the time or headspace to think about my own development

I know I should be working on my leadership skills but I haven't done anything about it

I occasionally read or listen to something useful but it's not intentional or consistent

I invest in my development from time to time but not as regularly as I know I should

I actively and consistently invest in becoming a better leader and business owner

Section 2/3 - Your Team

My team members are in roles that play to their strengths and are set up to do their best work. *

Roles evolved organically and people do what needs doing rather than what they're best at

Some people are well-matched to their roles but others are clearly struggling or in the wrong position

Most people are reasonably well-placed but I haven't been intentional about matching roles to strengths

My team is largely well-matched to their roles but there are one or two I know aren't quite right

My team are in roles that play to their strengths and I can see it in how they perform

My hotel has clear, documented processes that staff follow consistently without needing to ask me. *

Most processes live in my head and staff rely on me to tell them what to do

A few things are written down but most of it is informal and inconsistent

We have some documented processes but they're not followed consistently

Most processes are documented and followed but there are gaps I haven't got to yet

Our processes are clear, documented and staff follow them consistently without my input

Communication between departments in my hotel is clear, consistent and doesn't rely on me to join the dots. *

Departments barely communicate and I'm constantly bridging the gap

Communication happens but it's reactive and usually when something has already gone wrong

There is some communication between departments but it's inconsistent and patchy

Departments communicate reasonably well but I still find myself filling gaps more than I should

Departments communicate clearly and consistently and things rarely fall through the cracks

My team knows what is expected of them and there is a regular, structured process for checking in and holding them accountable. *

Expectations are unclear and accountability only happens when something goes wrong

I have informal expectations but no structured way of checking in or following up

I have some check-ins but they're inconsistent and accountability is patchy

I have regular check-ins with most of my team but accountability isn't always followed through

My team has clear expectations, regular structured check-ins and consistent accountability

I have a clear picture of how motivated and engaged my team are and I actively do something about it. *

I have no real idea how my team feel and motivation rarely comes up unless someone quits

I have a rough sense of who's happy and who isn't but I don't address it proactively

I check in on how people are feeling occasionally but it's not structured or consistent

I have a reasonable sense of team morale and address it when I can but it's not a priority

I have a clear and consistent way of measuring team engagement and I act on what I find

Section 3/3 - Your Guest Experience

The guest experience in my hotel is consistent regardless of who is working or whether I am on site. *

The experience varies hugely depending on who's working and whether I'm around

There is some consistency but guests can clearly tell the difference when I'm not there

The experience is mostly consistent but there are noticeable gaps when I'm not around

The experience is largely consistent but I still get the odd complaint when I'm not on site

The guest experience is consistently delivered to the same standard whether I'm there or not

My guest journey is documented clearly enough that I could hand it to a new staff member and they'd know exactly how we deliver our experience. *

It all lives in my head and would walk out the door with me

A few things are written down but most of it relies on me or long-standing staff who just know

We have some documentation but it's patchy and wouldn't give anyone the full picture

Most of it is documented but there are gaps I know I need to fill

Our guest journey is fully documented and anyone could pick it up and deliver it without me

When a guest complaint comes in, my team handles it confidently and consistently without it escalating to me. *

Every complaint ends up with me regardless of how minor it is

Staff attempt to handle complaints but usually pull me in before it's resolved

Some staff handle complaints well but it's inconsistent across the team

Most complaints are handled without me but there are certain situations that always escalate

My team handles complaints confidently and consistently and I rarely need to get involved

I monitor our guest reviews consistently, respond to them, and use what they're telling me to make improvements. *

I know feedback is out there but I don't have a consistent way of collecting or acting on it

I collect some feedback but it tends to sit unread or gets lost in the day to day

I collect feedback regularly but I don't have a structured way of turning it into action

I collect and review feedback consistently but acting on it doesn't always happen as quickly as it should

I have a clear system for collecting guest feedback and I use it regularly to improve the experience

I regularly get external feedback on the guest experience from someone who isn't part of my team. *

I rely entirely on online reviews and hope for the best

I occasionally ask a friend or contact to give me feedback but it's informal and rare

I gather some external feedback but not in a structured or regular way

I get external feedback periodically but not as consistently as I probably should

I have a regular, structured way of getting external feedback on the guest experience — whether through mystery guests, consultants or a trusted network